Preview — Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman
by Michele Wallace

Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman

Originally published in 1978, this book caused a storm of controversy as Micheke Wallace blasted the masculinist bias of the black politics that emerged from the sixties. She described how women remained marginalized by the patriarchal culture of Black Power and the ways in which a genuine female subjectivity was blocked by the traditional myths of black womanhood. In 1990Originally published in 1978, this book caused a storm of controversy as Micheke Wallace blasted the masculinist bias of the black politics that emerged from the sixties. She described how women remained marginalized by the patriarchal culture of Black Power and the ways in which a genuine female subjectivity was blocked by the traditional myths of black womanhood. In 1990 the author added a new introduction examining the debate the book had sparked between intellectuals and political leaders; an extensive bibliography of contemporary black feminist studies was also added. Black Macho raised issues and arguments that framed the terms of current feminist and black theory and continues to be relevant today....more

Community Reviews

There are a number of editions of this seminal book floating around out there; this one includes an introduction from Wallace, written from the benefit of hindsight. She talks about what she would have done differently, how her feelings have changed on certain topics, and - sadly - how she minimized the abuse patterns in her family at the request of her publisher. This created a good framework for a critical second reading of this book, which I actually read for a class a long time ago.

Wallace'sThere are a number of editions of this seminal book floating around out there; this one includes an introduction from Wallace, written from the benefit of hindsight. She talks about what she would have done differently, how her feelings have changed on certain topics, and - sadly - how she minimized the abuse patterns in her family at the request of her publisher. This created a good framework for a critical second reading of this book, which I actually read for a class a long time ago.

Wallace's book examines the harmful stereotypes that have kept black men and women at each other's throats instead of aligned together to fight racism. She candidly discusses both the truths and the falsehoods in each stereotype, and gives the Black Power movement holy hell for its blatant sexism and preference for white women over African American ones. She also explains why that's a thing in the first place, and boy does she ever rip into the Moynihan report, from which a lot of the current stereotypes about black women -- especially black single mothers-- originate.

Damn good stuff. Seriously, an eye-opener. The bibliography alone is worth its weight in gold - so many new texts to explore!!! I started jotting them down, and then realized I was just going to have to photocopy the pages because ALL THE BOOKS. A key text to peruse if you're sincerely interested in Black feminism / womanism (Wallace does not use either term, but it's the one that seems to fit this review best - worth noting is Wallace's critique of white feminism, and black women's responses to the feminist movement)....more

I’ve been going round my circles in my head trying to work out how to review Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman, Michelle Wallace’s 1978 tract on Black Power, masculinity, and the sexism internalised by the African-American community. How does a white girl born 6 years after this book was published critique such a deeply personal, passionately written and important book? Perhaps the safest route to take is to say that she doesn’t really. She reads. She admires. She learns. There are flawI’ve been going round my circles in my head trying to work out how to review Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman, Michelle Wallace’s 1978 tract on Black Power, masculinity, and the sexism internalised by the African-American community. How does a white girl born 6 years after this book was published critique such a deeply personal, passionately written and important book? Perhaps the safest route to take is to say that she doesn’t really. She reads. She admires. She learns. There are flaws in the reasoning in this book, and issues left un-examined, but Williams was younger when she wrote it than I am now, and she has come over the years to openly acknowledge the gaps in the book. None of that takes away from how important a text it remains.

oThe central thesis of the book – or the one that I came away with firmly lodged into my brain – is that African American culture has accepted external white definitions of masculinity, family, femininity and gender relations to the detriment of their own culture and their own struggle for equality. When the black man is struggling to be perceived as a man on white terms, he is neglecting the needs of his own people and fighting a false battle. When black culture in American accept uncritically the portrayal of the black slave woman as a collaborator who had a privileged status in the slave-owners home, they do untold damage to the unity of their fight.

What really struck me here are the parallels with the argument Christine Delphy makes in another upcoming release from Verso Books, Separate and Dominate, which I reviewed here just last week. In her book she speaks powerfully of the way in which the dominant class sets the paradigm and the rules which the oppressed need to conform with in order to be fully accepted and equal; standards which they can never meet because of their otherness, but which they are then blamed for failing to meet. And their failure to meet these false standards justifies their continued exclusion. The complexities of the hierarchies of oppression, whether race or gender or class or any other based, are fascinating in their similarities.

The arguments in Black Macho are not intended to feel fully formulated and academic. They are based on personal experience, on popular culture and on mainstream media. For the interested reader this makes them all the more readable, as we jump from an autobiographical note to a lengthy discussion of Norman Mailer’s ‘The White Negro’ to LeRoi Jones, Angela Davis, Nikki Giovanni. This book left me with lists of names to look up; black authors and poets and figures in the Black Power movement. It made me realise how ignorant I am of black history in the States. And ultimately, whether every claim the book made will stand water or not is not the point. It hooked me early; it was compulsively readable; it made me think and it opened my eyes. What more can I ask for?

This is possibly the nonfiction book I've most appreciated/enjoyed reading for school. I'm writing an essay critiquing 'traditional' (ie, Christian) marriage from feminist and economic perspectives. I didn't see how the book applied to this subject at first, but the second half of the book ('The Myth of the Superwoman') focuses on the family. I realized I was coming at my subject from a very white-feminist place, and that is not at all a good thing...

Wallace balances the personal and political bThis is possibly the nonfiction book I've most appreciated/enjoyed reading for school. I'm writing an essay critiquing 'traditional' (ie, Christian) marriage from feminist and economic perspectives. I didn't see how the book applied to this subject at first, but the second half of the book ('The Myth of the Superwoman') focuses on the family. I realized I was coming at my subject from a very white-feminist place, and that is not at all a good thing...

Wallace balances the personal and political by analyzing personal narratives and more 'intellectual' pieces of race theory that reveal personal prejudice. She focuses on one author at a time, quoting lengthy passages and discussing them in turn. I suppose this requires some patience, but it familiarizes the reader with the author Wallace is critiquing or examining.

Wallace's insights are incredible - subtle but powerful, well-thought out, and well-explained. Her consistently astute explanations, ideas, and analyses kept me glued to this book. I recommend it to anyone interested in either feminism or the Black Power movement....more

In the course of an essay I'm writing I refer to the Myth of the Black Superwoman. I've been aware of the term for a while, but I didn't know it's author or origins, so I thought I'd better go to the source.

Wallace is a good writer and her history of life under slavery is informative and persuasive. The subject of black male-female relations in the 1960s is beyond my expertise, but Wallace tends to make sweeping generalizations that invite some skepticism.

Just how prevalent were black male-whiteIn the course of an essay I'm writing I refer to the Myth of the Black Superwoman. I've been aware of the term for a while, but I didn't know it's author or origins, so I thought I'd better go to the source.

Wallace is a good writer and her history of life under slavery is informative and persuasive. The subject of black male-female relations in the 1960s is beyond my expertise, but Wallace tends to make sweeping generalizations that invite some skepticism.

Just how prevalent were black male-white female relationships? According to Wallace, very. But she offers no numbers. Okay, but how many should there be? If there were "too many" what is the "right number"? Was it a "Black Power" fad that faded away? Is it fair to criticize black men as group for the romantic choice of an unknown minority?

She makes an interesting argument that black men absorbed white standards of masculinity, which includes desire for white women. Black men, therefore, were not following their own desires but acting according to someone else's script.

But it is difficult to prove motivation, especially in the realm of desire. It's also tricky to tell someone, "You're not doing this for the reasons you think you are, but because you've been brainwashed." How many black men dated white women for "good reasons" (desire, affection, attraction) and how many for "bad reasons" (white socialization)? To black women who feel unfairly ignored by black men (the position Wallace occupies and speaks for) such a distinction is perhaps meaningless. But I hope Wallace acknowledges this distinction at some point.

This is an intersting read, as the version I had included a new forward by the author, who was able to revist some of her ideas. At the time of its original publication, Wallace received a lot of flack for her theories/views, and she admits in the forward that as time as passes (older, perhaps wiser), her views have changed, but not so radically that she no longer believes in the core of this work.

I think this book begins to scratch at larger conversations about relationships and community. TooThis is an intersting read, as the version I had included a new forward by the author, who was able to revist some of her ideas. At the time of its original publication, Wallace received a lot of flack for her theories/views, and she admits in the forward that as time as passes (older, perhaps wiser), her views have changed, but not so radically that she no longer believes in the core of this work.

I think this book begins to scratch at larger conversations about relationships and community. Too often, the language around oppression in communities of color pits male against female, as if there is a contest about how gets screwed over the most. In some ways, this starts to look at the effects of oppressions on the whole--how racism is tied to gender bias, how gender bias feeds into racism, etc. ...more

I don't have this version, I have a paperback that is nearly 30 years old! I read it back in the late 70's or early 80's but I remember it well. The book was considered a controversial examination of the UNEVEN relationship between Black Women and Black Men. I purchased the book after reading an article in the black male oriented magazine Ebony (no that is not a typo). The article was critical of the author and her convictions. As a matter of fact, check out Ebony of the 70’s and 80’s and you’llI don't have this version, I have a paperback that is nearly 30 years old! I read it back in the late 70's or early 80's but I remember it well. The book was considered a controversial examination of the UNEVEN relationship between Black Women and Black Men. I purchased the book after reading an article in the black male oriented magazine Ebony (no that is not a typo). The article was critical of the author and her convictions. As a matter of fact, check out Ebony of the 70’s and 80’s and you’ll be shocked by their blatant favoritism and lack of support for the black female. For years I considered the book second only to the bible. It was a very powerful and motivating piece of prose and an interesting examination of where we (BW and BM) went wrong after so many years of undeniable bonding. ...more

it definitely lives within the idea that "rape in the black community is the rape of the black man." it is troubling thinking of diaspora, considering how definitions of gender roles maintain this continuum through the fetishization of blackness in struggle. this is one of the more enjoyable things i've read. i like somewhat anecdotal divergence in the trouble girls home that led to michele becoming a feminist through glimpse of athis book is fun. i'm taking my time with it. it's very enjoyable.

it definitely lives within the idea that "rape in the black community is the rape of the black man." it is troubling thinking of diaspora, considering how definitions of gender roles maintain this continuum through the fetishization of blackness in struggle. this is one of the more enjoyable things i've read. i like somewhat anecdotal divergence in the trouble girls home that led to michele becoming a feminist through glimpse of a collective plight. i don't know what else i can say. ...more

Michele Wallace presents an interesting interpretation of black men, black women, and black male/female relationships. I learned a lot from this book that I didn't know.I'd highly suggest this book to all interested in black power rhetoric, the black male position as oppressed and oppressor, an in-depth understanding of the "Strong black woman" stereotype and a different take on black male/female relationships. Definitely worth the read.

Even though this book is centered more on my mother’s generation, it was extremely helpful in understanding why Black feminism (or womanism) is needed... (full review at http://zoratonimaya.tumblr.com/post/1...)

Michele Faith Wallace (born January 4, 1952) is a black feminist author, cultural critic, and daughter of artist Faith Ringgold. She is best known for her 1979 book Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman. Wallace's writings on literature, art, film, and popular culture have been widely published and have made her a leader of African-American intellectuals. She is a Professor of English at theMichele Faith Wallace (born January 4, 1952) is a black feminist author, cultural critic, and daughter of artist Faith Ringgold. She is best known for her 1979 book Black Macho and the Myth of the Superwoman. Wallace's writings on literature, art, film, and popular culture have been widely published and have made her a leader of African-American intellectuals. She is a Professor of English at the City College of New York and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY).